Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Carving Pumpkins and Ghoulish Ghosts

Carving Pumpkins and Ghoulish Ghosts
Halloween is only days away now and I thought it was a fitting time to carve or pumpkins. This was Ivy's first pumpkin carving. I set out the typical carving kit, plastic carving knife, scoop and poker. Ivy was carving her pumpkin that she picked from the pumpkin patch with our class the other day. I ran down to the patch before we set up to pick one for myself. We laid out some newspaper on the table and set out all of our supplies. I explained to Ivy how we were going to carve the pumpkin and that I would help her carve a circle out around the top of the pumpkin and she could scoop out all of the 'gloop and seeds' from the inside. She did ask me if we were going to hurt the pumpkins when we carved them. She's so sweet, always looking out for others and animals.

Starting to carve pumpkins

Surprised to see what's inside the pumpkin!

Look at all of those seeds!

All of the seeds

After scooping all of the seeds and gloop from the pumpkins. We now had to sort out all of the seeds from the pumpkin slime. I was going to bake the seeds for us to eat as a small snack afterward. Ivy's never tried a pumpkin seed before -I hope that she likes them! My parents growing up always baked them for me to eat. Ivy didn't like touching the pumpkin slime very much!

Ivy grimacing at having to touch the pumpkin slime!

While I was arranging the seeds on the tray to be baked I had Ivy start looking through the book of patterns for carving.

There are so many patterns!

Baking pumpkin seeds

Starting to carve our pumpkins!

Ivy starting to poke through the paper and into the pumpkin

Ivy had a hard time getting the small plastic carver into the pumpkin. I told her to try and use to two hands and if she couldn't do it, I would help her.

Ivy using two hands and making her angry face trying to get her carver into the pumpkin!

With a little help from me Ivy finished her pumpkin! I needed to help carve a little deeper into some of the spots on the pumpkin so she could push in the pieces so they fell inside. She was so proud of her pumpkin, as was I! She worked so very hard on her pumpkin and was so proud of it. By the time we were done the sun had started to set so we brought her pumpkin out front to the steps to light the candle inside.

Ivy sat waiting patiently on the front porch for the big reveal!

Ready? Set? Light that pumpkin!

Hooray! Ivy's pumpkin is lit!

So proud of her pumpkin!

After getting everything put away it was time for bed. Ivy got her favorite Halloween pumpkin jammies on and we climbed on her bed to read a brand new book.'Goodnight, Goon" a version of one of my favorite books.. "Goodnight, Moon"

Goodnight, Goon

Goodnight, Goon

Goodnight, Goon

After I tucked Ivy into bed and kissed her forehead goodnight, turned on the night lights and her mobile.. I headed downstairs. I sensed something was wrong. Something had followed me down the stairs.

Something followed me..

I got to the bottom of the stairs and all I could do was scream. It spilled past my lips before I could even think about what I was seeing. I stood there dumbfounded and afraid. I heard Ivy upstairs yelling my name over and over. "Mommy? Mommy? MOMMY!!" She was of course in her crib and couldn't get out to come and find me. I pulled myself away from what I saw... floating books, and ghost swarming around me and in the living room. I ran up over the stairs to find my little girl in her crib nearly crying and calling out for me.

Spirits and floating books

Rushing to find Ivy in her crib while the ghosts wouldn't leave me alone

Picking up my Ivy from her crib

Headed downstairs with Ivy.. and a ghost found us in her room!

Ivy by this time was clinging to my shirt and burying her face in my shoulder. We walked down over the stairs and she saw what I did in the living room... floating books and by now the ghosts were swarming.

They are swarming us!

Ivy and I ran from the house as fast as we could. Standing at the top of our stone staircase we could see the swarm of ghosts moving around the house. Ivy was crying and asking me what we should do and if they were going to hurt us. We decided that we were going to go walk down the road to my sister Kara's house and sleep there for the night. We started to walk down the stone steps and we came across...a girl standing at the top of the pumpkin patch. We both screamed and stopped dead in our tracks. I had no idea who she was.. Ivy asked me who she was.. I didn't know. I had no idea what to even say. We stood there and looked at her.. I back up the steps and walked around the tree and walked towards Kara's house. As we passed by the entrance to the pumpkin patch she was closer. She MOVED. She was closer to us. At a closer look.. she was hovering .. she wasn't even touching the ground. This wasn't a girl... I don't know what to do ...I swallowed over the large lump in my throat and RAN over the bridge to my sister's house.

My sister and niece, Giselle had gone away for the night. I thankfully knew where the spare key was. ( I can't tell!) and used to enter the house, promptly locking the door behind me. I brought Ivy into Giselle's bedroom and tucked her in the bed. I told her to stay put while I ran to lock all of the doors and windows. We were both afraid .. but it was time to try to sleep some. I sat next to her and rubbed her back until she started to fall asleep. I think I will sit up next to her on 'guard' for a while..
Hopefully sleep finds me soon..